One of Our Own
by globalista
Summary: A story in which Bellamy and Clarke become accidental parents (not a pregnancy fic).
1. Chapter 1

"Are you almost finished?" Bellamy asked her, his tone half bored and half on edge.

Clarke looked up from where she was crouched in front of the plant she needed. "Yeah, this should be enough for now."

He shifted the gun on his back. "Good. Let's go. It's getting dark and we need to get back."

She stuffed the leaves in her pack and followed him in the direction of camp. They had only been walking for a few minutes when Bellamy stopped suddenly.

Clarke almost bumped into him. "What–"

He held up a hand to quiet her and pointed at a tree in front of them. At the base of the trunk was a figure – a human figure – lying on its side.

Clarke ducked under Bellamy's arm and walked forward.

"Clarke, wait—"

"They're dead, Bellamy. Look."

His eyes followed her outstretched hand to the pool of blood in front of the figure's stomach.

Clarke knelt and pushed the person's hair off their face. "It's a woman," she said, before using her fingers to close the stranger's lifeless eyes.

Bellamy approached her and put his hand on her shoulder. "Clarke, we need to go."

"I know." She exhaled and started to get up. Just as she was about to stand, a movement behind the woman caught her eye and she dropped back to her knees. She gasped as she tipped the woman's body slightly forward. Strapped to her back was a baby.

Alarmed, Clarke quickly undid the fastenings holding the baby's carrier to her mother and lifted the bundle into her arms. She let out a relieved breath upon seeing the infant's eyes blinking up at her.

Bellamy crouched down next to her, his eyes wide. "What are we going to do with it?"

"Well, we can't just leave it here," Clarke said indignantly.

"But—" His next words were cut off by a rustling behind them. He grabbed her arm. "Let's move. Now."

Clarke gripped the baby tightly in her arms and the three of them fled toward camp.

* * *

When the gates were opened for them, Clarke immediately headed toward the dropship, Bellamy hot on her heels. She placed the baby down on a table, protecting its head with her palm, and started to unwrap the fabric that formed its carrier. Then she lifted the infant into her arms.

"What are you doing?" Bellamy asked, hands on his hips.

"Checking for injuries," Clarke said matter-of-factly. Satisfied that the baby hadn't been harmed by its mother's death, she laid it back on the table and untied its cloth diaper.

"It's a girl. Poor thing." Clarke sighed and ran a finger along the baby's cheek. "I wonder where your family is." She had dark brown eyes and a tuft of dark hair.

"We can't keep her," Bellamy said impatiently. "We don't need any Grounders showing up at our doorstep looking for her."

"Bellamy." Clarke's tone was patronizing. "She's an infant. Probably no more than four months old. We can't leave her to die."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Well, we need to figure out where she came from, and then return her."

The baby picked that moment to let out a wail. Clarke looked down at her.

"What do we have to use as a diaper?"

* * *

With the baby cleaned up and outfitted in a new diaper, Clarke scooped her up and headed for her tent. Again, Bellamy followed.

Once inside, Clarke kept the baby balanced in the crook of one arm while rummaging around in her pack with the other. "Aha!" She extracted a pouch of berries.

Bellamy sat next to them on Clarke's makeshift bed. "I don't understand how you're so blasé about this whole thing."

Clarke looked up. "I'm not. Obviously we have to figure out what to do with her. But I'm thinking like a doctor now – she needs to eat."

She crushed a berry between her thumb and forefinger. "C'mon, baby girl. Open up for me." She brought her finger toward the infant's mouth until she let her slip it inside, making a suckling sound as she ate the berry. Clarke repeated the action until the baby stopped eating and dozed off, satisfied.

"Look at her perfect little mouth." Clarke traced the red bow of the baby's lips with her finger as she cleaned off traces of the berries.

Bellamy swallowed and scooted closer. "I remember when Octavia was that small."

Clarke smiled at him. "Here, hold her while I go wash my hands." She passed the infant into Bellamy's waiting arms. "Look at that. You're a natural."

He smirked. "I've done this before, Princess."

* * *

When Clarke returned to her tent, she brought food for Bellamy. He passed the baby back to her so he could eat.

"How old did you say she was? Four months?" he asked as he tore into a piece of jerky.

Clarke wrapped the swaddling fabric a little tighter. "Not even. She's really too young for solid food. But what choice do we have?"

Bellamy cleared his throat. "Can you feed her? You know…" He trailed off and gestured at Clarke's chest.

She looked slightly stunned. "Do you mean, can I nurse her?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I…" She was about to say no – obviously there was no possibility of that – but then she reconsidered. "I don't know. Maybe I can."

Both of them gazed at the sleeping bundle in Clarke's arms. The baby's eyelashes fanned out in perfect half-moons as she slumbered.

"I can try."

* * *

Bellamy had gone off in search of extra blankets while Clarke probed her memory for the best way to stimulate milk production. When he returned to her tent, she looked up at him nervously.

"Thanks for those." She motioned toward the bedding. "I'm going to, um, take off my shirt now. You don't have to be here for this."

"Please, Princess." He took the baby out of her arms and lay back on her bed, placing the infant on his chest. "It's nothing I haven't seen before."

"Now who's blasé," Clarke muttered, eyeing the surprising sight of Bellamy with the sleeping baby. Normally he radiated energy, but at that moment he seemed relaxed and peaceful.

Clarke wriggled out of her shirt and shifted away from Bellamy. She put her hands on her breasts and started to massage them. Chancing a glance over her shoulder, she didn't catch him watching; rather, he was stroking his fingertips lightly over the baby's back. Letting out a breath, Clarke unclasped her bra and removed it to allow her better access. She knew that it was a long shot that she would be able to nurse, but she continued the compressions. The only noise in the tent was the sound of their breathing.

When the baby started to stir, making little sounds, Clarke looked over her shoulder again. This time Bellamy was staring straight at her, his eyes intense as he gazed at her naked skin. She gathered her courage and turned all the way around.

"Give her to me."

Bellamy sat up and transferred the baby into the crook of Clarke's arm. The back of his hand brushed her breast, making Clarke's nipple tingle. She fidgeted under the guise of getting the baby settled.

"Hello, sweetheart," Clarke cooed. "Did you have a good nap?" She traced the soft shell of the baby's tiny ear.

"Is she ready to eat again?" Bellamy asked, sitting opposite them, his attention rapt.

"Probably not, but I'm not producing milk anyway. I need her to get comfortable with me. Figure out what I smell like."

She undid the bundle of fabric so she could see the baby's hands. The infant reached her arms up, earning a big smile from Clarke, who put her pinky in one palm so the baby could grasp it, wrapping her little fingers around Clarke's much larger one. Encouraged by this interaction, Clarke lifted her toward her breast. The baby rooted around and eventually opened her mouth, allowing Clarke to slip her nipple inside.

Clarke giggled a little bit at the unexpected sensation of the baby starting to suckle. She glanced up to see a look of shock on Bellamy's face and laughed for real.

"Bellamy, she's not getting anything. It's just for comfort."

"I just—I don't—" Bellamy scrubbed a hand over his face and Clarke laughed some more.

Thinking he just needed a task, she asked, "Will you get me some water?"

He was up and out of the tent in a flash. She looked back down at the suckling infant, her tiny lips dark against the pale skin of Clarke's breast. Clarke began to hum an old melody she learned from her grandmother until the baby unlatched and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

When Bellamy returned, Clarke had redressed and was rocking the sleeping baby. She accepted the water gratefully.

"I think she's down for the night," Clarke said, moving to lie down. "Let's try and get some sleep, okay? We'll figure out what to do in the morning."

"Alright," Bellamy acquiesced, kicking off his boots.

She looked at him quizzically. "What are you doing?"

"Getting ready for bed," he said nonchalantly, sliding his jacket down his arms and tossing it next to his boots. His belt followed.

Speaking slowly, as if to a child, Clarke reminded him, "You don't sleep here."

"I'm not leaving this baby unprotected. Move over." He slipped under the blanket next to her, the baby between them.

"Fine," Clarke huffed. "But if she needs a diaper change in the middle of the night, you're doing it."

* * *

**Author's Note: One thing I always do in my stories is make the title the last word or few words of the entire piece. So this one isn't over yet.**


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning, Clarke woke up first, the timid light of dawn seeping into the tent. She propped herself up on her elbow and looked down at the two figures slumbering beside her. Bellamy had his arm draped over the baby and his hand on Clarke's wrist, as if trying to connect the three of them. She extracted her hand from his and sat up all the way, peeling off her shirt and bra. She figured she would work on her breasts a little more before he woke up.

When the baby started to stir, her little fists flailing in the air, Clarke redressed and slipped on her boots. She changed the baby's diaper, making a note to get some more scraps of fabric and something to disinfect the dirty ones. She was feeding her some crushed berries when Bellamy awoke.

She transferred the baby to her knee, bouncing her up and down, earning a few happy squeals. "Sleep well?" she asked him.

Bellamy grunted. He had been the one to get up with the baby during the night – twice.

The baby let out a particularly high-pitched sound and Clarke smiled at her. "Is somebody happy this morning, baby girl?" she cooed. The baby batted at Clarke's hair and gurgled.

"Clarke," Bellamy said, sitting up and running a hand through his messy hair. "We need to talk about what to do with her."

"I know," Clarke said, tying a sling around her back so that she could carry the baby with her. "But food first. I'm starving."

* * *

Bellamy earned a few glances emerging from Clarke's tent, but his sister had the biggest reaction when she saw what Clarke was carrying.

"What is that?" Octavia pointed, her eyes practically popping out of her head.

Bellamy spoke first. "We found a baby."

"What do you mean, you found a baby?" Octavia demanded.

"We found her in the woods," Clarke explained. "Her mother was dead."

"And you decided to bring her here?"

Octavia's voice was getting higher-pitched by the minute and the baby decided to join in with her own squeal. Clarke gave her a little tickle on her belly, much to the baby's delight.

"Can I hold her?" Octavia asked, suddenly under the infant's spell.

"Not yet. She needs to bond with me. I'm trying to nurse her."

Octavia looked surprised. "You're going to keep her?"

"No," Bellamy interjected. "We have to figure out who she belongs to."

Before he could say anything else, Miller jogged over to them. "Bellamy, we have a problem." He skidded to a stop when his eyes landed on the baby. "Uh…"

"I'll explain later," Bellamy said, exasperated, as he started off in the direction from which Miller had come. He turned back and gave Clarke an intense look. "We'll finish this discussion when I get back."

Octavia waited until her brother was out of earshot. "Clarke, I think I can help."

* * *

Bellamy found Clarke and the baby outside her tent a few hours later. Clarke had laid down a blanket on top of a piece of the dropship's parachute and put the baby on it for some tummy time. A few others were gathered around, cooing at the baby as she pushed up on her little arms.

"Don't get too attached," he announced to the group. "She's not staying."

He bent down and scooped up the baby, looking at Clarke and tipping his head in the direction of the camp's wall. She wordlessly got up and they fell into step beside each other until they reached a secluded spot. He shifted his weight from one foot to the other as he bounced the baby back and forth in his arms. Clarke marveled at his natural ease with her.

"What's the plan, Princess?"

"Octavia is going to ask Lincoln to put the word out."

His eyes narrowed in anger. "Wait, you sent her—"

Clarke held up her hand. "I didn't send her anywhere, okay? He's away on a trading trip. She said he'll contact her when he gets back."

"How long will that be?"

"She wasn't sure."

"So that's it?" he fumed. "We're just stuck with her indefinitely?"

"Hey," Clarke snapped. "I didn't hear any great ideas from you either." She lifted the baby out of Bellamy's arms and started to walk away before looking over her shoulder. "And if you're going to sleep in my tent again, you better not come to bed angry."

* * *

Bellamy didn't say anything when he pushed aside the flap of Clarke's tent that night. He looked at her and looked away when he saw that the infant was suckling again. Clarke didn't expect an apology but she was secretly glad that he wasn't leaving her to handle the baby alone.

When the baby released Clarke's breast, she got ready for bed and the three of them lay down in the tangle of blankets. Bellamy and Clarke turned toward each other at the same time. He gazed at her for a moment, his expression unreadable, before bending down to kiss the baby's forehead.

Clarke closed her eyes and evened out her breathing. Bellamy must have thought she was asleep when he leaned over and kissed her in the same place as the baby. Clarke forced herself to remain absolutely still, but the imprint of his lips on her skin burned, even in her dreams.

* * *

The next day, Clarke decided that a bath was in order. She tied the baby up in the sling and went to find Bellamy.

"I'm taking her to the pond, okay?" she said when she found him on one of the guard platforms.

"No, it's too dangerous," he told her, jumping down.

"She's more prone to infection than we are, Bellamy. She has to stay clean."

His jaw ticked. "Fine, but I'm coming with you."

"Suit yourself," she responded, marching out of the gate.

He followed her until they reached a small pond. Clarke toed off her boots and starting undoing the fastening on her pants. She untied the baby's sling and diaper as she stepped out of her jeans.

"Hold her for a second?"

She passed the baby to Bellamy as she shed her shirt and bra. When she turned back to him, he was staring at her unabashedly. Clarke stretched out her arms.

"Bellamy?" she said after a few moments, her eyebrows raised. "The baby?"

He cleared his throat and shook his head a little bit before handing the infant back to Clarke.

Clarke headed toward the water. "Are you ready for a bath, baby girl?" She jiggled the baby a little bit, making her giggle.

The pond was in direct sunlight, warming the water nicely as Clarke waded in with the baby on her hip. She cupped water in her hands and let it fall over the infant's shoulders. Then she tipped her head back to wash her hair. The baby waved her arms, making Clarke laugh as she splashed.

Clarke looked back toward the shore to see Bellamy watching them with a strange look on his face. She tossed him a smile. "Aren't you coming in?"

He hoisted his gun farther up on his back. "No, I'm keeping watch."

She rolled her eyes. "C'mon. There's no one else around. And the water feels great."

The baby squealed happily as if doing her part to convince him. Bellamy sighed and Clarke knew he was going to cave. He stripped down to his boxers and waded into the pond. Clarke handed him the baby when he got close enough. When the infant looked up at him and smiled, he grinned and bounced her a little in the water. She smacked her little hands against his chest. He raised her completely out of the water and then back down again, over and over, making her scream with delight.

Clarke could only stare.


	3. Chapter 3

"She's absolutely adorable, Clarke," Jasper said with a wide smile. "You must be so proud."

"Proud?" Clarke asked as she let the baby grip her finger and suck it into her mouth. "Why would I be proud?"

"Because you're her mom. Look, she even has your nose."

"Jasper." Clarke emphasized his name so he would look at her instead of the baby. "I'm not her mother."

"Yes, you are," Monty chimed in. "And Bellamy's her dad."

Clarke widened her eyes almost comically, but Monty continued.

"You all sleep in the same tent, don't you?"

"That doesn't mean—"

"Deny it all you want, Clarke," Jasper interrupted. "But you've got yourself a little family now."

"I can't wait until she starts talking," Monty mused. "I bet 'Monty' will be her first word."

Clarke was speechless.

* * *

"You will not believe what Monty said to me today," Clarke began before Bellamy even had a chance to sit down. Unable to completely stand up in her tent, he hunched over with a strange look on his face.

"Clarke, your shirt." He pointed at a wet spot over her left breast.

"Were you even listen—Oh! It worked!" she exclaimed when she looked down, wasting no time in yanking her shirt over her head. She pulled down her left bra cup and lifted the baby, who had been on her tummy on a blanket. She stroked the infant's cheek until she opened her mouth and latched on to Clarke's nipple.

"It worked," Clarke repeated, softer this time, her eyes bright. She gazed adoringly at the bundle in her arms. "That's my sweet girl."

Bellamy sat down on the bed. The tent was quiet for a long while, save for the sounds of the baby's suckling. When Clarke looked up, Bellamy was frowning.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Aren't you happy? You're the one who suggested nursing."

"This is very…confusing for me." He looked genuinely perplexed. "I shouldn't be attracted to you doing this, right?"

Clarke's heartbeat picked up a notch but her face remained neutral. "This is for her, not for you."

"I know, I know. But you look so…" He made a frustrated sound.

"So what?"

Clarke waited while he sorted out what he wanted to say.

Bellamy sighed. "Like this is so natural for you. You're glowing." He tilted his head to the side. "You'll be a good mother someday, Clarke."

Clarke stretched out her free hand, palm up, and after a beat, Bellamy placed his on top of hers. They stayed like that until the baby finished eating and drifted off to sleep.

"So, what did Monty say to you?" Bellamy asked as he moved under the blanket.

"It's not important," Clarke murmured.

This time, Bellamy didn't wait until he thought she was asleep to kiss her forehead.

* * *

"I think we need a schedule," Clarke told him the next morning. "Just because I'm taking care of her doesn't mean I can shirk my other responsibilities."

"Nobody accused you of that," Bellamy responded as he pulled on his boots. "And we're both taking care of her."

"How about I take her in the early morning, you take her late morning to early afternoon, and then I'll take the late afternoon?" She switched the baby to her other hip and looked at him expectantly.

"What if she gets hungry?"

"Then bring her to me and I'll nurse her. Look," she said, grabbing some fabric off the ground near her pack. "You can use this to tie her to your back." She held the carrier aloft, pleased with herself.

"What do you think?" Bellamy asked, directing his question to the baby in Clarke's arms. "Ready to go for a ride?"

She squealed happily.

* * *

"Clarke, seriously. How do you not die every time you see that?" Raven stared at Bellamy from the dropship threshold. He was talking to Miller, the baby strapped to his back.

Clarke looked up from where she was sorting supplies. "Huh?"

Raven glanced back at her, an incredulous look on her face. "Bellamy. With a baby."

"He's done this before, Raven. He basically raised Octavia."

"Whatever. Look around – their ovaries are practically exploding."

As Clarke came up next to her, Raven pointed toward a group of girls talking together and blatantly staring at Bellamy. Clarke frowned.

"Don't worry," Raven told her. "They won't try anything. They know he's taken."

"We're not together," Clarke insisted.

Raven raised an eyebrow. "You have a baby together."

Clarke groaned and threw up her hands. "Why does everyone think that she's ours? It's not like I gave birth!"

"I know. Actually, everybody knows how she ended up here, thanks to Octavia's big mouth." Raven put her hands on Clarke's shoulders. "But like it or not, she's yours now. And so is Bellamy."

* * *

Although the baby settled into a routine after a few days, some nights were more difficult than others.

Bellamy awoke to the baby screaming. Clarke was naked from the waist up, tears streaming down her face as she rocked the baby back and forth.

"Clarke, what's wrong?"

She let out a sob. "It's not working. She won't latch." She brought the baby toward her breast, but the infant only continued to scream.

He sat up and moved closer.

"Bellamy," Clarke practically wailed through her tears, "I don't know what to do."

"Okay, okay," he said soothingly. "Give her to me." He looked back at Clarke with the baby in his arms. "Are you producing milk?"

Clarke nodded. He reached toward her breast tentatively.

"I'm going to touch you, alright?"

He spoke softly but Clarke heard him over the baby's crying. She gasped a little bit when she felt his fingertip circling her nipple, collecting a drop of milk that had leaked. Withdrawing his hand, he placed his finger at the opening of the baby's mouth, just on the tip of her tongue. The baby closed her lips over Bellamy's fingertip, silencing her screams as she sucked.

Clarke let out a relieved sigh and leaned her forehead against Bellamy's shoulder. "Thank you," she murmured.

Bellamy dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "Anytime, Princess."


	4. Chapter 4

Clarke walked into her tent one afternoon, ready to relieve Bellamy of the baby so that he could check on the progress of repairs to the wall. She found him fast asleep, the baby sprawled across his chest as she napped. Clarke tiptoed over to her pack, pulling out a pencil and a little sketchbook. It was worth it, she decided, to use a precious piece of paper to capture the image in front of her.

She was putting the final touches on her sketch when Bellamy roused, blinking a few times before his eyes settled on her.

"How long have you been there?"

"Do you think we should name her?" Clarke mused, ignoring his question.

He sighed. "You shouldn't get too attached to her. She'll be gone soon," he said, his voice quiet as he stared at the sleeping baby.

Clarke titled her head. "Who are you trying to convince?"

He didn't respond.

She continued. "How about Eve? It's only fitting, don't you think?"

Bellamy chuckled. "I wouldn't call this the Garden of Eden. It's not exactly paradise."

Clarke smirked, offering him a piece of fruit from her jacket pocket. "Well, at least the apples are good."

* * *

Despite Bellamy's protests, the name Eve stuck. The others were enthralled with her, always asking Clarke how she was doing and offering to help. Tummy time had a regular audience.

Clarke emerged from her tent one evening to find Octavia waiting for her, a big grin on her face.

"C'mon, Clarke!"

She grabbed Clarke's wrist and pulled her over to the fire, where at least a dozen people were seated and smiling up at them. Bellamy stood to one side with Eve in his arms.

"What's this?" Clarke asked.

"It's a baby shower!" Octavia said gleefully. "Here, sit down."

Clarke shot Bellamy a look. He shrugged his shoulders in amusement and gestured with an upturned palm toward Octavia, as if to indicate that he had nothing to do with it.

"You too, Bell." His sister maneuvered him to sit next to Clarke.

Bellamy leaned over and said, "I tried to stop her."

Clarke only raised an eyebrow.

"Presents!" Octavia shouted.

And presents there were. Jasper made a rattle filled with nut shells. Harper sewed a little doll and dyed it with berries. Raven built a wooden crib and lined it with soft animal furs. Octavia made a little onesie, complete with feet. Everybody cooed as the baby inspected her gifts. Clarke accepted everything gratefully, slightly stunned by the teens' generosity.

After a while, Eve began to fuss in Bellamy's lap. Clarke lifted the baby into her arms and raised her shirt so she could nurse her. Before she could pull down her bra, Bellamy yanked her hand away.

"Clarke, don't."

"What? She's hungry."

"Not here."

Eve started to cry. Clarke lifted her shirt again but Bellamy stopped her.

"What is your problem?" Clarke hissed at him.

Bellamy stood up abruptly, taking Eve out of Clarke's arms. The baby wailed loudly as he carried her away. Clarke mumbled apologies to the group as she hurried after him.

"What is wrong with you?" Clarke yelled as she ducked inside her tent. "Why can't I nurse her?"

"You can nurse her. Here, take her," Bellamy said as he passed Eve to Clarke.

Clarke sat down with the screaming baby, who immediately quieted once she started suckling.

Clarke glared at Bellamy. "Explain yourself."

Bellamy glared back. "I don't want you feeding her in front of them."

"Why not?"

"Because everyone was looking at you."

"So?"

"Those guys do not get to see you half naked!"

"I was hardly half naked, Bellamy! Besides, nursing is a natural thing," she insisted.

Bellamy scoffed. "A seventeen-year-old boy doesn't think like that. Don't be naïve."

"I'm not being naïve; I'm being practical. I have a baby to take care of," Clarke said, smoothing Eve's hair back from her forehead.

"And who's taking care of you, huh?"

"I'm taking care of myself." She narrowed her eyes at him. "Why do you even care if they see me nursing?"

Bellamy didn't respond.

Clarke stared at him. "Why did you come with me the day we found her? Why didn't you send one of your minions instead?"

He shifted his eyes off to the side but said nothing.

She was angry now. "Why do you kiss me every night like it's nothing?"

"It's not nothing!"

"Well, you better figure out what it is," Clarke spat, putting the baby down on the blanket. "'Cause you're ticking me off."

With that she marched out of the tent.

* * *

Eve had trouble adjusting to the crib after so many nights sleeping between her caregivers (or her parents, as Monty would say). She cried every time she was placed inside, her little face turning red until one of them picked her up again. Bellamy and Clarke, still angry with each other, took turns rocking her until she finally fell asleep.

Exhausted, Clarke collapsed on the bed. Bellamy lay down next her, hesitating before leaning over to kiss her.

"Don't," Clarke said harshly.

Apparently Clarke's anger faded while she slept, because she awoke to find her nose pressed against the front of Bellamy's shirt, his arm draped around her. Disoriented, she struggled to move away, waking him in the process. His arm automatically tightened around her.

"Clarke," he mumbled, his eyes still closed. "Stop squirming."

"Let me go. I'm still mad at you." She pushed against his chest.

"It's too early for this," he groaned and rolled over on top of her, pinning her beneath him. He laid his head on her chest. "Go back to sleep."

Clarke sighed, defeated and immobilized, and let Bellamy's warmth lull her into a dream.

* * *

When Clarke awoke again, Bellamy was gone. She pushed up on her elbows to look at Eve, awake and freshly changed. The infant reached for a piece of paper perched on the edge of her crib. Clarke plucked it away before Eve could put it in her mouth (her new favorite activity) and recognized the sketch she had done of a sleeping Bellamy with the baby on his chest. Turning the paper over, she found a note: 'I love you.'


	5. Chapter 5

"Once upon a time there was a little girl who lived in space. She could see Earth from her window. It was so beautiful, and the girl longed to breathe the air and feel the sun on her face."

Eve stared upwards from her perch on Clarke's lap.

"One day, when the girl was almost all grown up, she got a chance to go to Earth. She climbed aboard a spaceship with one hundred other people and they made the journey to a place called Virginia."

The baby stuck her fist in her mouth.

"Earth was even more beautiful than she had imagined. But there was a boy there who was terribly frustrating. He said mean things to her at first, but then he started being nice, which was very confusing. And then he left a cryptic note without so much as an explanation, and really, who does he think –"

"Um, Clarke?" Raven interjected. "I don't think that's such a great story for her. Why don't you just stick to fairy tales?"

* * *

By midday Clarke decided that she had had enough time to stew. She dropped off the baby with Jasper – "If even one hair is out of place when I get back, you will never see those goggles again" – and went looking for Bellamy. She found him by the water trough. He saw her coming and turned to face her, his expression unreadable. They stared at each other for a long moment before he inclined his head in the direction of the dropship. Clarke followed him inside.

She looked up at him in the dim light of the ship's interior. He seemed nervous, wiping his palms on his jeans and licking his lips. Finally he reached out and grabbed her hand, pulling her over to where a piece of the parachute hung from the ceiling.

"Bellamy, what –" Clarke started to ask.

He cut her off. "I know you said you can take care of yourself," he said, squeezing her hand, his eyes searching her face. "But maybe, once in a while, you'll let me take care of you."

Bewildered, she watched as he pulled the parachute fabric aside, revealing a wooden chair – no, a rocking chair. It was small, low to the ground, and a little crude, but there was no mistaking it.

Clarke had never seen one in real life. "Did you make this?" she marveled.

Bellamy nodded. "I had seen pictures, back on the Ark."

She walked forward to inspect the chair. "It's beautiful, Bellamy. How long have you been working on it?"

"Since about the time I realized I was in love with you."

Clarke snapped her eyes up, gasping a little at his bluntness. She gripped the back of the chair tightly and swallowed. "Yes, I saw your note."

She felt out of her element. There wasn't a task to be done or a problem to be fixed. There was only Bellamy, staring at her as if his revelation were the most obvious truth. She supposed, in a way, that it was.

Clarke stepped carefully around to the front of the chair and sat down, testing out the rocker. She only looked at Bellamy again when he spoke.

"It's for you, so you have a place to nurse Eve."

She stood slowly, moving toward him until she was close enough to have to tilt her head back to look at him. She pressed her lips together before speaking.

"You love me."

"Yes."

Fisting the front of Bellamy's shirt in her hands, Clarke turned him around and pushed him down into the rocking chair. She followed, straddling his lap. His eyes widened in surprise but he held her gaze.

"You love me," she repeated.

He gripped her hips. "Yes."

Clarke brought her hands up to his face and traced his eyebrows, the bridge of his nose, his lips. Bellamy stayed patiently still as she inspected him.

"Bellamy?"

He blinked up at her.

"You know how you kiss me every night, right here?" She placed a fingertip on his forehead.

"Yeah."

Clarke shifted her weight, causing her to slide closer to him as the chair rocked backward. "I want you to kiss me other places. And I love you, too."

* * *

"Hey, Clarke, I – Whoa!"

Clarke tore her mouth away from Bellamy's to glare at the intruder. Jasper had his eyes squeezed shut and used his hand to cover the baby's eyes.

"C'mon, Eve. Let's leave Mommy and Daddy alone." He backed out of the dropship, his voice trailing off. "Looks like you might get a sibling soon."

Clarke groaned and rested her forehead on Bellamy's shoulder.

He chuckled. "Guess the cat's out of the bag."

She looked up. "They've been calling us 'Mom and Dad' for weeks now. That doesn't mean I want Jasper to catch me without a shirt on."

Bellamy traced his hands over her bare back. "You were ready to nurse in front of everybody."

"I won't. I'll come here," she said. "Thank you." She kissed him quickly. "Hand me my shirt? I need to relieve the babysitter."

Once redressed, Clarke tried to stand up but only succeeded in rocking the chair forward and then backward, making her grip onto Bellamy for stability.

He laughed as she slid around on his lap. "I think this chair is going to be a lot of fun, Princess."

* * *

Bellamy didn't make a big deal to the others about the change in their relationship. As with many other things, Clarke followed his lead. They did, however, find excuses to touch each other, like when Eve drooled on his jacket – "Here, let me take that off for you" – or when Clarke forgot to button up her shirt after nursing – "There are only two people who get to see these, and one of them puts her toes in her mouth." In private, he complied with her request to kiss her in other places.

"You and my brother, then?" Octavia asked Clarke one day after she saw Bellamy kiss her while handing off the baby.

Clarke pulled her hair out of Eve's grip. "Yes."

Octavia smiled. "You're good for him."

"We're good for each other."

Eve giggled when Octavia reached over and tickled her.

"What will you do when you find her family?" Octavia asked.

Clarke chewed on her lower lip. "I don't know. She already feels like ours."

* * *

"Clarke, look," Bellamy said when she entered the tent after washing up before bed.

She sat down next to him. With Eve propped up in his lap, Bellamy stuck out his tongue. The baby opened and closed her mouth, trying to mimic him.

"C'mon, you can do it," he encouraged.

He repeated the action and this time, Eve poked her little pink tongue out from between her lips.

"Look at you!" Clarke cried happily, earning a smile from the baby.

"I taught her that," Bellamy said proudly. He beamed as he looked down at Eve, who yawned. "Is somebody ready for bed?" He laid her down carefully in the crib.

Clarke gripped his hand. "You'll be a good father someday, Bellamy."

He sighed. "It feels like she's ours, doesn't it?" He smiled sheepishly. "Guess I fell in love with two girls at once."


	6. Chapter 6

The availability of dozens of babysitters – well, maybe not dozens; Clarke was particular – had its upside. Bellamy and Clarke sneaked away one afternoon for a dip in the pond.

"Remember when we brought Eve here for the first time?" Clarke said, her eyes shining as her fingers trailed along the surface of the water. "She was so happy."

Bellamy smirked. "So was I. You were practically naked."

She pretended to be shocked and splashed him. He retaliated by grabbing her and trying to dunk her underwater but immediately released her when he heard her cry out.

"What's wrong?" he asked, holding his hands out in front of him, unsure of whether to touch her.

She held an arm gingerly under her breasts. "I haven't nursed her in hours. It's a little painful."

He swallowed and waded closer. "Can I help you?"

Clarke turned and pressed her back against his chest. She looked up at him over her shoulder. "Give me your hand."

Bellamy reached around her and she put his fingers on her breast, his thumb on top and the rest of his fingers underneath.

"Like this," she breathed, showing him how to move his hand. Soon she was expressing the milk that had been built up.

"Do you feel better?" he murmured, pressing kisses along her neck as he finished the second breast.

Clarke tilted her head to the side. "Oh, yes. Your hands are magical."

Bellamy nipped her shoulder in response to her smart remark. "Let me show you magical, Princess."

* * *

Bellamy and Clarke reentered the camp a few hours later and Raven walked over to them with the baby. When Eve saw them, she reached out her little hands and Raven lifted her into Clarke's arms.

"I hope she wasn't too much trouble," Clarke said, bouncing the baby back and forth on her hip.

"Nope, but I'm exhausted. I don't know how you do it." Raven smiled at them. "See you later."

Clarke watched her go and then turned to Eve. "Did you have a good time, baby girl?"

"I know I did." Bellamy smirked and gave Clarke's backside a squeeze.

Clarke batted his hand away. "Not in front of the baby!"

"Bell!" Octavia called as she jogged over. She looked between Clarke and Bellamy trepidatiously, hesitating.

"What is it, Octavia?" Clarke asked.

"Lincoln's back. I told him about Eve."

* * *

Clarke kept Eve more or less attached to her in the following days. The only other person she would allow to hold the baby was Bellamy.

"What?" she snapped when Bellamy gave her a concerned look as they got ready for bed one night. "I just want to enjoy my time with her." She lay the baby down almost reverently in her crib. "I'm glad that we might find her family. That's where she belongs."

"Who are you trying to convince?" he said, repeating her earlier words back to her.

Clarke frowned as she lay back among the blankets. Bellamy followed her, lingering a little with his customary goodnight kiss.

Clarke slept fitfully, waking every few hours and anxiously peering over the edge of the crib, relieved to see Eve still there. Once she awoke to see Bellamy kneeling in front of the crib. He scrubbed a hand over his face when he noticed Clarke watching him.

Wordlessly, she grabbed a blanket and scooted over next to him, draping it over both their shoulders. They stared at the sleeping baby in the moonlight that filtered into the tent.

"It's funny, isn't it," he murmured.

Clarke looked up at him, waiting for him to continue.

Bellamy took her hand and linked their fingers together. "Earth is so big, but this is my whole world."

* * *

The next day, a small commotion at the gate got their attention. Bellamy hurried over and Clarke followed with Eve.

"Miller, what's going on?" he called up to his second-in-command, who was perched on a guard platform.

"It's Octavia. She's got Grounders with her!" Miller yelled back.

"Let me in, Bellamy!" Octavia shouted over the wall. "It's her father!"

Bellamy whipped around to look at Clarke, his expression a mixture of shock and fear. She clutched Eve a little tighter but nodded slowly.

He turned back and put his body in front of Clarke and the baby. "Open the gate, Miller."

The gate opened to reveal Octavia and Lincoln standing with another Grounder, a man, tall and lean with a distraught look on his face. Octavia marched forward and approached Bellamy.

"His name is Matthew. He said his wife was killed and his daughter has been missing for weeks," Octavia told him.

Bellamy leveled a stern gaze at the stranger, but Clarke stepped around him. Matthew's eyes immediately darted to the bundle in her arms and it looked as if he were about to move forward before he stopped himself.

"Matthew," Clarke said in greeting. "I'm Clarke. This is Bellamy. We understand that you have been looking for your daughter."

Matthew stepped forward, his hands in front of him to show that he was unarmed. "Yes. Her name is Carys. She was born five moons ago."

As he moved toward her, Clarke could see the deep pain in his eyes along with a sliver of hope. But she remained hesitant.

"Could you tell us something about her, something only you would know?"

"She has a mark in the shape of a leaf. Right here." He pointed to his heart.

Clarke didn't have to check to know that it was true. She looked up at Bellamy, tears welling in her eyes.

"I know, Clarke. I know," he said soothingly, cupping her face in his hands. "It's time to say goodbye."

Clarke let out a small sob and bent down, kissing Eve – Carys – on her nose and both her cheeks. "I love you, baby girl. Time to go home."

Bellamy gently took the baby out of Clarke's arms and murmured his own goodbye, one that Clarke couldn't hear. He kissed the infant on the forehead before passing her to her father. The joy on Matthew's face at being reunited with his daughter made Clarke cry harder. Bellamy put his arm around her shoulders, squeezing her tightly.

"Thank you," Matthew said, his voice choked with emotion. "I am forever in your debt."

As father and daughter headed back into the woods with Lincoln, Clarke could see the baby's tiny hand peeking out over Matthew's shoulder, as if she were waving at them. Bellamy turned Clarke into his chest and let her sob, his shirt absorbing her tears.


	7. Chapter 7

Clarke didn't want to go back to her tent – she couldn't bear to sleep there without the baby – so they moved into Bellamy's. The first few days were brutal. Clarke felt as if a part of her own body were missing; she couldn't stand the emptiness in her arms. To add insult to injury, she was still producing milk and had to pump her own breasts in order to avoid discomfort.

She could tell that Bellamy grieved in his own way. His eyes often drifted to the baby's little doll lying in her crib. They both distracted themselves with work that needed to be done in the camp, only returning at night to collapse in a fitful sleep in which Bellamy clutched her a little too tightly.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Raven asked, inspecting the dark circles underneath Clarke's eyes as they washed rags at the water trough.

"I'm fine," she responded, not making eye contact.

"Are you okay, Clarke?" Monty inquired sweetly when he brought her a handful of mint leaves.

"I'm fine," she said through gritted teeth.

"Clarke, are you doing okay?" Jasper squinted at her as he shelled nuts.

"I'm FINE!" Clarke shouted at him. "Don't I seem fine? Isn't everything fine?"

Having heard the yelling, Octavia emerged from the dropship. She sighed at the sight of Clarke practically shaking and on the verge of tears in front of a terrified Jasper. Carefully putting her arm around Clarke, Octavia steered her into the dropship.

"I'm not fine, Octavia," Clarke said as she slumped into a seat.

"I'll get my brother."

After a lecture from Bellamy – "Leave her alone and get back to work before I use you as bait" – things mostly returned to normal, or as normal as could be expected.

* * *

One day while Clarke stirred up a batch of seaweed tea, Bellamy burst into the dropship, his eyes shining.

"Clarke, come quick."

She frowned. "What is it?"

Impatient, he grabbed her hand and pulled her outside and toward the gate. Her eyes widened when she saw Matthew standing at the entrance, Carys in his arms.

"Bellamy?" Clarke looked up at him incredulously.

He grinned and squeezed her hand, tugging her along a little faster.

When they stopped in front of the gate, Clarke's fingertips itched to touch the baby. She had a little more hair, and when she opened her mouth, Clarke caught a glimpse of a small white tooth.

"Hello, Clarke." Matthew smiled at her fascination with Carys.

"Hello," Clarke responded. "I'm surprised to see you here."

"Matthew needs a favor," Bellamy said.

Clarke marveled. Bellamy looked happier than he had in weeks.

"Yes," Matthew continued. "I'm going on a trading trip. I'll be gone until the next full moon. Will you watch her while I'm away?"

Clarke gasped before nodding vigorously. "Oh, yes, of course!" She dropped Bellamy's hand to reach for Carys. The warm weight of the baby felt delicious in her arms.

"We'll take good care of her," Bellamy said.

"I know," Matthew told him. "She wasn't quite comfortable when I left her with my sister. I think she wanted to be back here."

Carys squealed her approval as she grasped onto Clarke's hair. Clarke pressed a kiss to her forehead and blinked back a tear of joy.

* * *

_Six months later_

"I can't believe she's walking already!" Clarke exclaimed. Matthew had just picked up Carys after his most recent trip.

"I know," Bellamy gave her a tired smile. "We need to baby-proof our cabin."

"Later." Clarke linked their hands. "Let's get some dinner."

When they were back in their cabin, Bellamy started picking up the scattered building blocks from the floor. (Raven had made them for the baby, claiming that she was going to need a protégé.)

"I miss Carys every time she goes." He sighed as he tossed the last block in the box of toys.

Standing up from the rocking chair, Clarke held his gaze for a long moment before taking his hand and placing it on her stomach. He looked at her with a puzzled expression on his face before his eyes widened in realization.

Clarke smiled. "Would you like to have one of our own?"

* * *

**Author's Note: The end! Thanks for reading!**


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